This recipe for homemade mustard is easier than you’d think it would be. With just a few simple ingredients, you’ll have a low-calorie condiment that fits your taste preferences. Unlike ketchup and barbecue sauce, mustard often has negligible added sugar, making it one of my top burger toppers. Slather it on a sandwich or use it to add flavor to potato, chicken, or pork recipes. Yum!
Years ago, back when I lived in upstate New York, I joined an UNFI buying club. There was no cost to join my particular club, and I could get deep discounts on organic bulk goods. I saved a lot of money purchasing bulk beans, grains, and spices through them compared to our local stores.
Unfortunately, I did not always do well predicting which bulk items I would use in a reasonable amount of time. And that is how I ended up with a pound of brown mustard seeds living in my cupboard for years. The jar of seeds traveled with us on our move to the Boston area, eventually settling with us here in Connecticut.
I had initially purchased the seeds with the plan to start making my own mustard. However, caring for a young child, several long-distance moves, and a cancer diagnosis ended up taking priority. Over a decade passed, and my dreams of becoming a mustard maven never came to fruition. lol
Through the years, I would use a teaspoon of the seeds here and there in my recipes. The amounts used barely cut into the abundance of seeds, and the jar remained nearly full.
A few weeks ago, I tried sprouting some of the mustard seeds using the same method I used to make broccoli sprouts. Sadly, the old seeds failed to germinate.
Plan B: Where I end up making a recipe for homemade mustard as I originally intended
So now I’ve come full circle and am back to making mustard with the seeds. Now that I know how easy it is to make mustard, I find it silly I did not make time earlier. I’m going with tarragon-cider mustard here, but this recipe can easily be customized for whatever flavors you want.
For example, swap the cold water in the recipe for apple cider to get a more pronounced cider flavor. Or skip the cider flavor all together and substitute the apple cider vinegar for red wine vinegar or another vinegar.
Don’t like tarragon? Experiment with other dried herbs like rosemary and thyme.
And if you need more inspiration for mustard flavors, I highly recommend checking out the online Mustard Museum shop. They have more varieties of mustard than I have ever seen in my life. I’ve heard their sesame honey mustard is particularly spectacular (but it contains added sugar, of course).
Once you’ve created the perfect mustard, you need to figure out what to do with it. May I recommend trying Terrified Amateur’s deviled chicken drumsticks and the roasted potatoes Poupon? Add a green salad with a mustardy dressing, and you have a meal fit for a (mustard-loving!) king or queen.
Whatever you do, don’t skip letting the mustard sit in the fridge for a few days. I know that you probably want to dig into your tasty creation right away, but this mustard needs time to mellow and thicken. I promise that it will be worth the wait!
And now for the disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The calorie information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to this post. Let’s get cooking!
Recipe for Homemade Mustard (Tarragon-Cider Flavor)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds
- 3 tablespoons Colman's mustard powder (link to purchase on Amazon can be found in recipe notes)
- ¼ cup cold water (must be cold!)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1½ teaspoon dried tarragon
Instructions
- Crush the mustard seeds a bit with a mortar and pestle or a food processor. Do not reduce them completely to powder.
- Stir all of the ingredients together until well-combined. Pack into a ½-cup glass canning jar. (It fit perfectly for me.) The mixture will be very liquidy at this point; that is ok. Screw on the lid and refrigerate.
- Important! Let the mustard rest in the fridge for 3 days before using. It needs this time for the flavors to meld and mellow. It should thicken to a more typical mustard-like consistency as it sits.
- This recipe makes approximately ½ cup (eight servings of 1 tablespoon each).
Notes
This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). This mustard is great if you are looking for a low-calorie condiment with no added sugar. Even with a few days in the fridge, this rustic mustard brings on the heat, adding fiery zip to your dishes. The directions on the Colman’s mustard powder canister recommend using a 1:1 ratio of mustard powder to water. I used a little less powder since I added mustard seeds and other ingredients. This gets you thinner mustard that easily incorporates into dips and recipes. For thicker mustard, add an additional tablespoon of mustard powder before refrigerating.
Nutrition
What is your favorite type of mustard? If you make this recipe for homemade mustard, please leave a rating in the comments below. I’d love to hear how it turned out!
Terrified Amateur says
Mustard is the golden substance of life, Summer! All the more stunning an endorsement coming from someone who (thought he) disliked it until adulthood. Never considered before making my own...until now, that is.
What a choice for a write-up, and splendid inspiration. As you show, just a little tinkering, and some creativity, produces a range of benefits. Especially spectacular with raw vegetables. Want to get your daily allotment of fresh veggies, and then some? Want to come dangerously close to falling into a raw carrot coma? Just add the mustard you just showed us how to prepare.
Hey, we're not supposed to like vegetables so much. You tricked us, Summer!
Summer Yule says
Thank you! You know, I don't think I've ever tried using mustard as a dip for carrots. I'll have to try it soon, since I happen to have an abundance of both.
Someone pointed out to me that I could just flavor store-bought mustard however I'd like as an alternative to making it from scratch. Clearly I don't mind taking the more difficult road. Haha Actually, in terms of slow food, this was pretty low labor. I do recommend trying it if you like mustard and it seems that you do!